About Michelle (that's me!)

It was not a direct path that led me to become a Health Coach, but more a series of circumstances.

I am an only child and had the most amazing, wonderful parents. They were both extremely healthy and lived very active lives. Unfortunately, they both died of cancer at the age of 61. My dad died in 2003 and my mom died in 2009 from breast cancer. This left me wondering how could my parents both die so young with no real lifestyle or family history of this disease? I began researching everything I could find relating to health and cancer. What I found shocked and angered me. I found that there are so many things that are sold to us to consume, use and wear that have known toxins.

This search led me to enroll in school at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to expand my knowledge and to be certified to help others. I discovered that one of the most important avenues for a better life is through nutrition. There are so many conflicting diets and theories out there and I had the chance to study them all. While in school I experimented personally with Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian and everything in between. What’s funny is that there wasn’t one exact theory or “diet” that worked best for me. After a lot of trial and error, I found what worked perfect for me. Gone are the horrible stomach aches, nausea, heartburn and other food related discomforts that I had lived with over the years. I did this the hard way with no guidance from anyone. I really could have used my own health coach but didn't even know they existed!

In addition to nutrition, I discovered there are so many aspects to our busy lives that play an important role in our health. If one part of your life is out of balance, your whole being is unhealthy. I was there and it was awful. I have personal experience with finding balance in your life and feel blessed with the knowledge and resources to help others become the best version of themselves possible.I have gone through extreme, life altering anxiety which you can read about HERE and HERE. I was able to figure out how to get past it and know how to take care of myself moving forward. I also took prescription acid reflux medication for over 10 years. Now that I know how to eat for my body, I haven't had heartburn for over a year and no longer need medication. I also had to heal my body from taking them for so long. Did you know they are only meant for temporary treatment? My doctor told me I was fine taking them the rest of my life. Yikes! In addition to healing my head and my stomach, I was able to lose 20 pounds without dieting. No one wants to diet...it's just miserable and they don't work long term.

Through my journey to health, I learned to not sweat the small stuff and to try to do something relaxing for myself each day. This was hard for me as I felt like I always needed to be doing something. I have to consciously make myself slow down, otherwise I burn myself out and am no good to anyone.

I live in Round Rock, Texas (outside of Austin) with my husband, daughter, dog and 2 guinea pigs. In my free time, I love to ride bikes with my daughter and snuggle up during movie nights. I also enjoy making my own cold pressed soap to share with friends. I love the creative aspect of blending all the organic oils and choosing the right essential oil and mix-ins. I also love reading about essential oils as I am fascinated with the amazing benefits I have seen in my life since I began using them. I enjoy writing and have high hopes of publishing many books in my future! Until then, be sure to keep up with my blog as I love to write about health & wellness and other things that interest me or that I feel might be helpful to others.

I am a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner (H.C.) through the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP). I am also a member of the International Association for Health Coaches (IAHC).